Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hello, everyone! So excited to present to you the art that was inspired by my design! I asked you a few weeks ago to please go to The Friday Mashup and vote. You did. I won! Head on over and check out the cool stuff that the awesome artists came up with... you won't be sorry you did!

I get to pick this week's Rock Star and Glamettes as well as have my original design on the line up with the rest of cards made by the blog's designers. What an honor!

Here's the name frame I made for a client friend of mine. I was checking my email before I made the frame and saw a card by the amazing and talented LeeAnn Greff (you can see her card here: http://flowerbug.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/09/punch-art-tricks-more-dropped-circles.html). She made a card, using strips of various of pinks and reds. When I saw the card, it hit me that it would be a perfect set up for this name frame. LeeAnn embossed the whole strip of paper of each color. My strips are much longer, so I used 7 different embossing folders to emboss just the rounded tips. I added various buttons and embellishments in a row along the bottom, just like LeeAnn did. I heat embossed the letters with black embossing powder (so they are a bit shiny, like black patent leather). So perfect for a little baby girl and will grow with her as she does.

I started with a base of Wild Wasabi, added a layer of Certainly Celery. Then in upper corner, I add a ripped piece of Wild Wasabi DSP. I mean, technically, it is a bit of a different color for the trio of colors. On this one on the left, I sponged the edges in Early Espresso and used my spritzing tool to spray some flecks of espresso.

Then, I stamped the cat tail and the whale tail on the celery in black. I stamped the alligator head on watercolor paper, then I stamped his tail on watercolor paper, and I colored both in using my watercolor pen and celery and wasabi ink. Then I had to cut each out, and I popped them up using my stampin' dimensionals, of course!

I added my sentiment on watercolor paper, too. I used the word window to punch it out. Then I used the modern label punch and more wasabi DSP.

I started with a base of Early Espresso. Next there is a layer of Cajun Craze, a layer of Tangerine Tango, and then a layer of Pumpkin Pie. I used the Gift Givers set, stamped the turkey image in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla (anyone else get hungry blogging about the colors they use?) Then I used my blender pen to color the cute little turkey in, using the same colors as the paper.

I punched out the turkey, and then I punched out some edges out of some old Pumpkin Pie DSP I had. I think it makes a nice touch, and does, in fact, add another layer of the orange color.

I did add a layer of white printer paper inside so that I people can see what I write in the card!

Make no mistakes... I said it... this card has three different challenges combined in one! It's a theme challenge from Paper Players, a sketch challenge from Create with Connie and Mary, and a color challenge from Inkspirations Challenge! (And none of which can I actually link up to my blog now because my computer is being so stupid! Sorry, everyone.... I will continue to try).

The challenge on Paper Players was to include a plant or an animal, and as I go to post this there, I see that I missed the chance to get in on that challenge! Oh, well. I still made the card for three challenges!

Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White, DSP

Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Melon Mambo

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, (I forget the name of this set and cannot bring myself to get up to go get it)

I am so proud of this card! Seriously! This is the third one I've made for this week's challenge over on The Friday Mashup, and I did love the first two, but this one just takes the cake in my opinion! Again, it doesn't mashup the ideas, but this butterfly idea was the first one that came to me when I saw the sketch. I love how the butterflies sort of overlap up the side of the oval.

I turned the sketch, replaced the circle with an oval, used the giant scallop trim in place of the strip of paper with a mini strip on top of that. I feel so proud in the sense that I felt I really took on the challenge, made it my own while still sticking within the parameters of the challenge.

Here's a side view of the butterflies all popped up using stampin' dimensionals. Plus, I added the pearl in the center of the biggest butterfly.

It's the first time I've had the chance to ink up this set. I've been wanting it for awhile and finally bit the bullet and bought it!

I started with a base of Almost Artichoke. Then I added a layer of Chocolate Chip that I embossed using a wood grain embossing envelope. Next I added the strip of artichoke that is also embossed. One of them is embossed with numbers, the other is embossed with gears. On all the embossing, I sponged a bit of black ink to help the design stand out a bit more.

On this one, I added a thin strip of basic gray, the same color I used with my blender pen to color in most of the tools.

But on this one, I used a strip of Daffodil Delight, another color I used to color in various parts of my array of tools.

I tried to put my "screws" (the circle from the tiny trio of punches with a line drawn down the center in black) along the edges of the large circle in the center, just like the sketch suggests, but that just looked too girly to me! So I added my accents in the four corners, as I'm sure a man would do to attach the wooden plate down.

I have to admit, this is the first idea that popped into my head when I saw this week's challenge over on the Friday Mashup. I wondered why none of the ladies used butterflies. I mean, that is what this sketch screamed to me when I saw it. Then I read the description... masculine card.

I usually try to do the Mashup on this challenge, and I did do one that is a mashup of the two, but I had to make this card (and I have one more, too). I love this card! I love the DSP, by far my most favorite!

I popped up the butterflies using stampin' dimensionals.

I am so proud of this card, but not as proud as I am of the next one so come back!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Here's my take on this week's Friday Mashup Challenge! The challenge is to make an autumn themed card or use yellows and oranges or mash them up and use both. And that is exactly what I did!

I started with a base of Cajun Craze (that's an orange color, right?!?) Next, I used cajun, Pumpkin Pie, and More Mustard and the stamp set French Foliage. I made my own DSP! Next I added a layer of Chocolate Chip. On top of that, I added strips of cajun, pumpkin, Peach Parfait, and mustard. Before I attached those, I ran this one through the Big Shot with the polka dot folder.

On this one, I ran the strips of paper through the big shot using the lattice folder (same colors).

Next I used my 1 1/4" circle punch and punched 3 circles in pumpkin, and I sponged the edges in pumpkin to create those cute little pumpkins. I used the retired slot punch to punch out a "stem" in Old Olive. Then I sliced a sliver of olive, wrapped it around my paper piercer to create a curly-cue for the pumpkin .

Finally, I stamped the sentiment (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) in cajun on white and punched it with my word window. Then I used the modern label punch to create a base of chocolate.

Here's a close up of the sweet pumpkin. I just love how this looks!

I popped up both the pumpkin and the sentiment using my stampin' dimensionals.

I tend to make two cards when I make one, so these are slightly different, but the basic card is the same... it is a sketch challenge after all!

The base of both is Pumpkin Pie. Then I used a very old DSP. Then there is a layer of Basic Black and then another DSP layer.

Then I used the Gift Givers stamp set to stamp the sentiment on Whisper White and then punched it out. Then I used my blender pen and colored the pumpkins in Pumpkin Pie. On this one, I sponged the edge of the punched piece.

I created a mini pumpkin by punching three 3/4" circles in pumpkin. I sponged the edges lightly in black. I used my slot punch (retired) to make a little stem, and then I wrapped a sliver of black paper around my paper piercer and stuck that on. Finally, I popped the pumpkin up, covering the scary looking pumpkin. (This one's for my niece who is too young to read my blog... NO ONE tell her!)

On this one, I used Pumpkin Pie to create a boarder around the main sentiment. On this one, both the pumpkin and the sentiment are popped up using stampin' dimensionals.

I thought of this right away when I saw this sketch (and knew I wanted to use my new Gift Givers set). I hope you like them as much as I do! Whatcha think, Prez? You need a few of these for your little people?

I was not meant to post this challenge. I created these two cards on Wednesday night with my card making buddy. I made them for LAST week's challenge on Stamping 411. I was very proud of them, but alas I was not destined to post them. A thunder storm came up, as I finished the cards, the power went out. I thought, "I am not going to let this get me down! My lap top has juice. I am going to post it now." Ahhh... no... no power, no Internet. The modem (?) is electric.

Not only was the power out, but a tree also fell against the base of our driveway, trapping my friend in! So she and I sat in the dark, chatting while my awesome husband was out chopping the very live tree with an ax. Chain saw, you ask? Yes! Of course we have one! It's electric. May I remind you that the power was out?

Alas, I could not post these cards, but I still wanted to share them because I do think they are super cute and very creative. I used an old DSP with the ornaments. I used Real Red, Whisper White, and Sahara Sand. What you can't really see is that the ornament punch is in the top layer and the white paper is underneath. The top layer is popped up so it's a bit 3D. I was not able to take the picture to clearly show how cool it looks. I guess I was lucky I got this one. I was taking the shots in the dark.

I just wanted to let you all know that I won the fan favorite challenge over on The Friday Mashup. That means that my challenge will be the challenge on the blog on September 30th. I will post it again so you'll get to see it if you follow my blog (hint... you should follow my blog!) I also won a nifty badge for my blog (look to the right to see the badge! It's the one on the top.) Many thanks for your votes! You guys rock!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Ok... this may be shameless, but I really need your help! I need you to click HERE, head to The Friday Mashup blog and vote for me! There is a voting bar on the right of the screen. There are four choices, and you can make your own choice, of course, but my card is the fall themed with brads.

Just so you know... if I win this, I will get to be a guest designer on The Friday Mashup, something I'd love to try. But I need your help. Please take 30 seconds or less and vote for me! Also, would you consider posting this on your facebook page or passing the request on to your friends? I wanna win!!!!

If you'd like to see my original post of the mashup idea, you can click HERE.

Monday, September 5, 2011

I had to participate in The Paper Players weekly challenge of creating birthday cards. I mean, seriously... who doesn't need a stash of birthday cards laying around?

I am also trying to use the product that I already have (not hang on to it just because I love it so much). So I decided to use this very old DSP to make several birthday cards following the same basic layout.

I used Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, and Soft Suede. I also used several birthday sets, which include but are not limited to Bring on the Cake, By the Inch (I think that's the name), and the new hostess birthday set, and two more sets.

I created these cards for the color challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary. When I first saw the colors, I was like, "What? Really?" But I guess that's why they call it a challenge, right? It really struck me as fall-ish, really Halloween-y. But I don't have many Halloween stamps (because I don't really send Halloween cards). So here's what I came up with...

I ended up making two cards. On this first one, I used an embossing folder that is not SU (leaves if you can't see it) so this is not my submission for this challenge, although it is still a very cute card. There is a base of Rich Razzleberry. I used the masking technique for the leaves, and the sentiment is from Give Thanks, a retired set with some beautiful stamps and a great sentiment. I did use a loop of razzleberry ribbon, which I'm sure is retired, but I love the look of the ribbon loop. It's a nice change from how I normally use ribbon.

This card is my official submission for this challenge. All Stampin' Up products used here! My base is Whisper White. I used the lattice embossing folder on the white. The Lucky Limeade strip is also embossed with polka dots (to match the ribbon, of course). Again, the leaves are masked, and I should add that I did stamp off the razzleberry once before stamping it on the center image.

This is my first take on this week's Stamping 411 sketch challenge. I gotta say that I love the ladies over on Stamping 411. They inspire me and offer their readers so much... tutorials, inspiration, challenges, and even support. That being said, I am not super crazy about this sketch, BUT I created a card anyway (actually two) because it is good to challenge yourself. So... this is what I came up with.

I know it's technically "retired" now, but I will stop using The Open Sea set when someone prys it from my cold, dead hands. (okay, okay... yes, that was a bit dramatic; my point is, I really, really like this set).

I started with a base of Early Espresso, then I added a layer of DSP from the nautical DSP. I used another piece of that nautical DSP on the bottom of the card. I stamped the globe from the stamp set in espresso on Very Vanilla. I cut that out, and under that is a layer of Cherry Cobbler that I ripped in a "circle," and under that is espresso that is also ripped in a circle. I added the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes, I used the cherry baker's twine (although the way I tied it, you can't really see it that much). You can't tell from the photo, but the sentiment is popped up two times, once under the modern label punch and once under the word window sentiment. The globe is also popped up using stamping dimensionals. Finally, I didn't think that this "man card" would work with buttons. That's way too girly. I used my 1/2" circle punch and the circle punch from those little bitty punches. The smaller circle is also popped up. It's a poppy card.

I pulled out some DSP from last year (or even the year before?) and got to work. I have two slightly different cards here. I used the sentiment from Word Play and two different embossing folders (neither of them are SU, but they are still very cute... one with ornaments and the other with "Merry Christmas" repeated).

Also, several years ago, I bought a huge mixed bunch of Christmas buttons. This simple one is from that bunch.

I think I like the layer of the red under this sentiment better than the green (which disappears a bit on the green embossed layer). But, I like the additional "Merry Christmas" with the little green button on the first card.

On this second one, I used red ric-rac (sp?) The additional button just didn't work for me. If I were going to make a third, I'd mashup these two to use my favorite parts of each one.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Hello Card Makers! These 12 cards are the 12 cards we'll be making for the late September class! I know you'll love them as much as I do. As per usual, the photos just don't do them justice.

As you can see, there are lots of soft colors, River Rock, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, and Old Olive. There is also the beautiful and rich Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso. There is also a gorgeous designer series paper, Paisley Petals. It is BE-YOO-TEE-FUL!

On each card, there is a fabulous frame in one of the fabulous previously mentioned colors. In addition, I have about 24 different phrases (from the Teen Tiny Wishes set) that you can add to your cards. If you need birthday cards, you can make them birthday cards. If you need thinking of you cards, you can make those. There's 24 options for sentiments. All in all, a GREAT set of cards.

I am offering this class on Wednesday, September 28th at 4 or Thursday, September 29th at any time you can (just let me know when you are coming when you RSVP).

You'll get to make all 12 cards (and envelopes) for $30.00. If you don't need any cards at this time, consider making these for gifts. The holidays aren't too far off and you could easily package 4 cards together (getting 3 gifts) or 6 cards together (for 2 gifts). Seriously... who wouldn't love to get these cards as gifts?

Please RSVP by Sunday the 25th so that I can have all the materials ready for you. There is a lot of cutting for this one so it will take me awhile to get everything together.